If there is one thing I hear over and over again from my clients, it’s that they just can’t give up sugar!
But here’s the thing, if you want to support hormonal health, improve digestion, heal leaky gut, reduce bloating and gas and support liver detoxification, sugar is NOT your friend!
This doesn’t mean we can’t have a few indulgences here and there, but it does mean we have to get really clear on our health goals and design a plan that leads us to truly healing. And often times, that means giving up things we love.
The good news is, by giving up these things, we get include a whole host of foods + supplements + lifestyle shifts that actually bring us closer to healing. Don’t think about the things you have to give up, but rather, the things you get to include.
A healing protocol doesn’t need to be perfect, but if you’re struggling to walk up the stairs everyday because your joints are in pain, or your weight is literally weighing you down and causing inflammation, or your moods are erratic because your blood sugar is unstable and your period is an excruciating mix of cramps, headaches and fatigue – then girl – it’s time to ditch the sugar.
Besides – don’t you want to feel better? Feel vibrant? Feel energized? Then giving up certain things (even just temporarily) is well worth it in my books.
Here are 3 simple tips you can include into your healing protocol that will help you bust through sugar cravings:
- Coconut oil – You’ve probably heard all about the miracles of coconut oil! But did you know that this fat is amazing for helping to combat sugar cravings? From a soothing lotion to a toothpaste replacement, this beautiful liquid can do it all. But did you know that coconut oil is also incredibly beneficial to your digestion and your overall health as well?
Here’s a few reasons why you want to include coconut oil in your diet:
- It contains lauric acid, which helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
- It helps to keep the arteries flexible and prevent atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries (which is the main cause of heart attacks and strokes).
- Can help boost metabolism, speed up weight loss and curb sugar cravings!
- Increases bone strength by allowing better absorption of calcium, vitamin D, and other minerals.
- Contains anti-fungal properties and has been shown to reduce Candida and yeast in the body and fight yeast infections.
- Helps fight infection and flu due to its antibacterial, antivirus and antimicrobial properties.
- Is used for energy in the body and not stored as fat.
Sounds pretty magical right?
So what to do when that sugar craving hits?
Enjoy a tablespoon of coconut oil right off the spoon! The saturated fat in coconut oil will help combat your cravings + increasing your fat intake is key when cutting out sugar. I have a few coconut oil brands that I like. You can see them here, and here.
2. Digestive Bitters – I absolutely love bitters. Not only do they help increase HCl production (stomach acid) but they help your body to produce more of your own digestive enzymes so you can better digest + assimilate + absorb your food and nutrients.
Simply take some digestive bitters about 10-20 minutes before a meal. But why exactly will this help with sugar cravings? It’s the bitterness that will help to offset your tastebuds.
We are so used to the taste of sugar and addicited to that sweet taste, that tricking our tastebuds into experiencing more bitter will help us offset our taste to sweet.
Take digestive bitters daily for 2 weeks (while eliminating sugar), then re-introduce sugar back into your diet and BAM! You’ll be much more sensitive to the taste of sweet thanks to the bitters. In fact, I’ve had clients try this and sure enough, after tasting sugar they are often surprised by how sweet it actually is and in turn, cut down on their intake.
I personally like these digestive bitters from St. Francis.
—> As an aside – if your cravings and sugar addiction is really messing up your hormones, click here to join my FREE 7-Day Hormone Detox Challenge to heal your pms, pcos and rebalance your body <—
3. Fibre – and lastly, getting more fibre into your diet doesn’t leave you much room for indulging. Ever tried eating a plate full of roasted veggies? Sure enough, it FILLS YOU UP! In fact, I’m stuffed after eating a large salad or roasted or raw veggies.
The problem is – we just aren’t eating enough veggies to actually fill up. EVERY single meal needs to include a side of veggies. And yes, that means breakfast too! It’s wild how many people don’t eat veggies at breakfast. Start to increase your intake and load up on fibre.
The fuller you are on nutrient-fibre rich veggies, the less likely you’ll be to overeat and over indulge.
Not only do I like loading up on veggies, but I also include a daily fibre supplement called Healing Fibre from NULife Therapeutics. 
This fibre blend is just another way to ensure I’m getting in enough fibre. It taste delicious, mixes well into hot or cold (I like adding it to smoothies or drinking it just in plain water) and it is NOT gritty at all (unlike some other fibres on the market).
Healing Fibre contains a blend of gut healing nutrients, like l-glutamine, marshmallow root and acacia gum – all which support in healing leaky gut. If you’re struggling with digestive or gut issues, I highly recommend this product.
As someone that is healing from Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune condition), it’s vital that I support the health of my gut. The health of our gut is often times linked to autoimmune conditions and this has been an integral part in my healing process.
You can get the healing fibre here.
I hope these tips help support you in combating your sugar cravings. Got questions or comments? Leave them in the comment section below 🙂
